Someone I Know
by revivingophelia
Summary: As suspicions about Kaitlyn's attack loom, Eve Torres' life is about to get a lot more complicated. Spoilers through the 9/21/12 SmackDown. Eve/CM Punk, possible Kaitlyn/undecided, Paul Heyman, Layla, AJ, others.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Someone I Know

Author: Karen U/revivingophelia

Pairing/Character: Eve/CM Punk, Kaitlyn/?, Paul Heyman, AJ, Layla, others

Disclaimer: No one you recognize belongs to me

Rating: R/M

Summary: As suspicions about Kaitlyn's attack loom, Eve Torres' life is about to get a lot more complicated...

Spoilers: through the 9/21/12 SmackDown

Warnings: language, violence, adult situations

I realize Kaitlyn's the one in the prologue, not Eve, but trust me... Eve's definitely the main focus of the fic.

Prologue

She frowned down at her ankle, the young woman fighting the urge to out-and-out sneer at the bandage that was wrapped around it. Her dream night - her first chance at the divas' title - had not turned out the way she'd wanted it to go. Not only had she not won the match... She hadn't even gotten to participate in it. She'd been too injured to compete. She'd been upset at first, when Eve had declared that the match couldn't happen, but the truth was... Kaitlyn had known she was in no condition to compete. She couldn't even walk on her own, so how in the world could she wrestle for the title? The match would have ended within a few seconds most likely, if only because she couldn't get a solid base. Her dream match would have been a nightmare and her title shot up in smoke. At least this way... Eve had said that the match would be rescheduled, not cancelled completely.

Of course, that was before Eve herself had ended up getting a title shot at Night of Champions instead.

Her first thought, of course, was that getting the match herself must have been Eve's plan all along... Knee-jerk response, she supposed. And the thing was, she still thought there was a chance that Eve Torres had something to do with what had happened. But if she'd been involved? She'd had to hope for things to work out perfectly for her. Because Kaitlyn had seen the replays of the scene between Eve, Booker T, and Teddy Long. She knew that Teddy Long was the one that had reminded Booker that all the titles had to be defended at Night of Champions... And she knew that it was Booker that had put Eve in the match. Those men were two variables that Eve didn't really control. Sure, Booker thought she was a great assistant, but that didn't mean he would give her the match. Though even Kaitlyn had to admit that Eve had been the most logical choice as replacement. Like the woman or not, Eve *had* beaten her not once, but twice in the past several weeks. The truth was, she, Eve, and Layla were the only divas that had much going on in terms of wins lately. But even though Eve would have known she was the logical choice for a replacement... There was still the matter of Theodore Long. It was no secret that the man didn't like or trust Eve, which meant there was no way that Eve could count on him to help with any scheme. And Teddy was the one that had reminded Booker that the title had to be defended.

"He couldn't have known who Booker T would put in the match," Kaitlyn muttered to herself, then made a face at that thought. Because unfortunately, despite the fact that Eve had been the only real choice - the only logical choice at all when who actually deserved the spot was considered - Kaitlyn felt her words were true. That Teddy hadn't known who Booker would put in the match... Because he likely hadn't considered who would be the one that deserved it the most. Because Teddy Long? Didn't always pay attention to who was the most deserving. That had become evident when he hadn't been able to name who he thought deserved a shot at the tag team titles. He'd been at a total loss while Eve had an entire folder full of won-loss records and suggestions. And while Kaitlyn would love to call the woman nothing more than a brown-noser - which she kind of was - that didn't change the fact that Eve was actually good at her job.

And man, that hurt to even think. No way was she saying it out loud.

But the fact that Eve was good at her job and that she really seemed to love her job... Well, that was kind of a red flag, wasn't it? Would Eve jeopardize her job as Booker T's assistant - even her career as a whole - for a title shot? Something that wasn't even guaranteed to turn into a title run for her? She didn't know, but...

"Damn it," Kaitlyn muttered, jerking a hand through her hair. The thing was, while she knew Eve could potentially be involved - that had been her first thought - the more she considered it... There simply had been no guarantees for Eve to even get the match, much less win it. And on top of that... She knew Eve couldn't have done it herself. If Eve was involved, someone else had done it for her. The attack had happened just a couple of minutes before Eve had come rushing down the hallway - a stagehand had gone to get her - and the woman had been dressed in a skirt and heels, definitely not 'attack someone from behind' gear... And her hair had been perfect. If she'd attacked someone and speed-changed afterwards, then her hair would have been a mess... Especially since the attacker's head had been covered. But there was one other thing that Kaitlyn had noticed about her attacker... Something she had noticed even as Eve and the trainer had been helping her to the trainers' room.

The person that had attacked her? Was shorter than Eve. And she didn't just mean shorter than Eve when the woman was in heels. She meant that if Eve had been standing next to her attacker and both of them were barefoot, Eve would have been noticeably taller. Which meant that Eve hadn't been the one to actually perpetrate the attack. Someone else was. The question was... who? Were they working with Eve? And if so, why? What had she promised them? And if they weren't working with Eve... Who had done it? And what did they want out of it?

"I don't know. But I'm going to find out."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer, etc., in previous part.

Thanks to those that had reviewed so far.

Part One

"I think that you need an ally."

CM Punk twisted slightly in his seat and looked over at Paul Heyman, the WWE champion - for over three hundred days and counting - arching a brow at the older man. "I have enough allies, Paul. I've got you."

"Yes, and I am a great person to have on your side, but it never hurts to have an alliance with someone else," Paul replied, the man frowning as he paced back and forth. "It's clear that the administration of RAW has it in for you-"

"Well, duh," Punk said, rolling his eyes, then shrugging when that earned him a dirty look from Heyman. "Hey, you *were* stating the obvious, you know."

"Yeah, I guess I was. Clearly AJ does not like you. If she has any integrity at all - which I sincerely doubt she does - she will rescind the referee's decision from last Monday night and declare that Cena and Sheamus did not win that match-"

"It's kind of a moot point now anyway," Punk broke in, pointing to his laptop screen, where an article about John Cena having surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow was up. "The time frame is back to six to eight weeks. He had the surgery on September 18th. Six weeks, the shorter side of the time frame, falls on October 30th. That's two days *after* Hell in a Cell. The longer time puts him back in action around mid-November. If the child-size General Manager wants a guaranteed title match at Hell in a Cell in a little over a month, then she'll have to choose someone else to face me instead of Cena."

Heyman nodded slightly. "You do have a point. Of course, if Superman makes it back early, she could make your match a triple threat, or just replace your opponent with him."

"Well, I suppose if she does that, then I'll just have to bring in some kryptonite," CM Punk replied, knowing without asking that when Heyman said Superman, he really meant Cena. Of course, the comparison was pretty fitting. Cena was like a frickin' Superman. All that kiddies loved him, he was freakishly strong, and a complete dork. Personally, Punk would prefer to be Batman.

"I suppose you will. But it wouldn't hurt to have someone else bring it in as well," Heyman replied. "Having someone else on your side would... be a benefit."

"Teaming up with people just means they can turn against you. Especially if they want the title that you hold. I've been the WWE champion for over three hundred days. Three hundred. I'm not teaming up with somebody just to have them screw me over for the title."

"What if the person I have in mind wouldn't be considered competition for the WWE title? And what if this person already has their own title?" Paul questioned, and Punk frowned for a moment, confused... His expression clearing as he understood who it was that Heyman was referring to. Clearly, he couldn't be talking about any of the men in the company; it would be foolish to ever think there was another male competitor in the company that didn't someday dream of being the WWE champion. Which meant that the person that Paul Heyman had in mind was not, in fact, a man. It was a woman. And since he said she had a title of her own...

"Eve. You're talking about Eve Torres."

"Got it in one, champ. The woman that started pushing you in the right direction in the first place," Paul said, and Punk couldn't help but scowl at that despite the fact that he knew it was true. Eve Torres was the one, after all, that had actually had the guts to come up to him and talk to him about how he was being overshadowed by so many people. That had been the start of it... Or at least the start of him admitting to himself how damned frustrated he was with things. That had been when he'd known he needed a change. Because if Eve was coming up and talking smack to him... He shook his head.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"Do you have a problem with Eve?" Paul asked, and Punk shook his head.

"Not really. I guess I owe her something for giving me a verbal kick in the ass... whether she realized what she was doing or not," the WWE champion said, then looked over at his friend and advisor. "You think she knew what she was doing when she came up to me? Not just that she was trying to get under my skin before the match that night?"

"I think Eve Torres is a very intelligent woman that puts a lot of thought into the things that she does. I think there was a purpose to her coming up to you that night, and I'm not entirely sure that it was just to cost you the match. Of course, it could just be that she doesn't like AJ. Which would make her a good ally. As would the fact that she's a three-time divas' champion," Paul reminded him, and Punk nodded slightly at that. While it was true that the divas' title had only been around for about four years, maybe a little more, it was also true that Eve was the only diva that could say she'd held that particular title on three occasions. Of course, the way she'd gotten into the match that she'd earned that third title in was a little bit fishy...

"Seems to me like her life's about to be a little more complicated already, especially if Kaitlyn points the finger at her for the attack at Night of Champions," Punk mused, and Paul arched a brow at him.

"Do you really think she did it?"

"I think that she wouldn't have had time to attack Kaitlyn and then make herself presentable to act as the Assistant to the SmackDown GM just moments later. She was, after all, the one that the stagehand rushed to get afterwards. And I think that, if Eve was going to risk something, she'd make sure it was worth it. She had no guarantee of getting into that match. Not to mention the fact that she seems the type to think that if she wants something done right, she should do it herself," Punk said, then looked over at Paul. "But that's just my opinion."

"And I happen to think your opinion is very valid. I also think that there will be plenty of people pointing the finger at Ms. Torres for what happened to Kaitlyn, whether it's deserved or not. I'm sure she could use an ally. Perhaps allies. Such as us. A mutually beneficial business agreement amongst the three of us," Heyman said, and Punk frowned, tapping his fingers against the table he was seated at.

"I'll think about it."

"That's all I ask."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer, etc., in the prologue. Thanks to those that have reviewed/followed/favorited this one so far.

Part Two

She made her way through the backstage area of the arena, the woman holding her head high, refusing to look away from the people that stared at her. It would just make her look guilty if she didn't meet people's eyes; she knew that. If she looked down or avoided people's gazes, it would make it look like the whispers and not-so-quiet accusations were getting to her. And even if they were getting to her? She wasn't going to let them know it. Because she knew one thing that no one else seemed to know, that no one else seemed willing to believe.

Eve Torres knew that she was innocent.

She hadn't had a thing to do with the attack on Kaitlyn at the Night of Champions pay per view the week before. She knew people suspected her. That had been made all too clear to her. Eve thought that maybe deep down, even Booker T had his doubts. Booker T. The man that she had done her best to help stay in control as the General Manager of SmackDown... He'd told her she was doing a good job... He had been the one to put her in the match against Layla after Kaitlyn was hurt... And now people like Teddy Long and Layla were whispering in his ear, trying to make him believe that she had somehow schemed her way into the title shot. That she'd attacked Kaitlyn to get into the title match. Which, of course, meant she was both magic and psychic in order to accomplish the attack and know that she would be the injury replacement.

Apparently, thinking about things logically was too much to ask of her co-workers.

Heaving out a sigh, Eve shifted her grip on the divas' title that was slung over her shoulder, the woman arching a brow as she saw the accusing look that Layla was giving her as she walked by. Layla, of course, was all over the 'Eve's guilty' bandwagon... Not to mention whining like a bitch over the fact that she'd had to face a last minute injury replacement at the pay per view.

"It wasn't fair that you got the shot. The match should have been cancelled until Kaitlyn could compete," Layla said then, stepping in front of Eve, her hands on her hips as she glared up at the taller diva. Eve arched a brow as she looked down at her.

"Why? So you could have four months between title defenses instead of just three months?" the new champion said, her voice a little sing-song. She smiled slightly as Layla took a startled step back, her eyes widening. Apparently she hadn't expected Eve to fight back. Eve shrugged. "I did the math. You hadn't defended since No Way Out against Beth. That was in June. No title defense in July... or August... There was nearly a month between the number one contenders' battle royal and the actual title defense. You had three months of not having to defend that title."

"That wasn't my fault."

"Really? It seems to me like you could have easily asked Booker T or AJ to give you some competition. But you were just content to have a nice, long title reign handed to you. Just like you were content to have the title match handed to you in the first place," Eve countered, stepping closer to the former divas' champion, smirking down at her.

"Excuse me? I won the title fair and square-"

"And so did I-"

"You were an injury replacement-"

"And so were you! Or are you conveniently forgetting that?" Eve shot back at her. "You want to say I didn't earn my shot? At least I'd beaten Kaitlyn - the number one contender - twice in the month before I got that match. You hadn't had a match in a year when you were the injury replacement for Beth. You lost the title the same way you won it. In a match with an injury replacement. The only difference is that you were the replacement in the first one, and I was the replacement in the second one. Amazing, isn't it? How you didn't have a problem with it the first time, but when the tables were turned..."

"How dare you try to compare your title shot to mine? I'm not the one that caused the injury to the person that I replaced-"

"And I didn't hurt Kaitlyn. What would I have had to gain? It's not like I could put myself in the match," Eve shot back at her. "I don't have that power. There would have been no way for me to know I'd be the one to get the title shot instead." The new divas' champion arched a brow at the former one. "Of course, there would have been no way for you to know the match wouldn't just be cancelled, either."

She had the pleasure of seeing Layla's jaw drop open at that, the British diva actually taking a step back, the woman looking around them as if trying to see who was within listening distance. For her part, Eve didn't care who could see them. All she knew was that she wasn't going to let Layla accuse her without throwing it right back in the bitch's face.

"How dare you! Kaitlyn is my friend! I could never-"

"People do crazy things when they're desperate. Kaitlyn had a few wins under her belt. Beth, Natalya. Tough competition. Maybe you were worried. Afraid that after three months with no defenses, that Kaitlyn might just have your number with this one. Where were you, Layla? When someone took Kaitlyn out? I was doing my job as the Assistant to the General Manager of SmackDown. But you... where were you?"

"I don't have to listen to this! I didn't have anything to do with it, and you come up and accuse me-"

"You came up to me. I just wouldn't let you walk all over me. I'm not going to just sit back and let you accuse me. You want a fight? Bring it on. Bitch," Eve declared, then shouldered her way past the shorter woman, meeting the gaze of each person around them in turn, fighting to keep the satisfaction off of her face as this the people all averted their gaze, unwilling to meet her eyes. Shaking her head, she continued down the hallway, the woman frowning when she heard the sound that meant she'd just received a text message.

"Not another one," she muttered as she dug the phone out, figuring it was another hate message from her coworkers. She'd even got one message - from a blocked number - claiming that the sender had proof she'd done it. Knowing that the person was full of it - they couldn't have proof since she hadn't done it and were probably trying to trap her or something - she'd responded with a 'screw you'. And as she glanced down and noted that this message came from a blocked number as well, Eve prepared herself to fire off another nasty reply, then froze as she saw what the text said.

'I know who's trying to frame you. Meet me at one in the morning', the message said, accompanied by a location for the meeting. Eve frowned as she bit her lip.

"Well, damn. What do I do now?" she muttered, then looked up, surprised when she found herself meeting the gaze of none other than Kaitlyn, the younger diva just coming out of the trainers' room, her ankle wrapped up, the woman on crutches. For a moment, they just stared at each other, then Eve nodded slightly and headed off on her way, not realizing until she'd turned the corner why she'd felt that Kaitlyn's gaze seemed different than those of the rest of her coworkers.

Because unlike almost everyone else, Kaitlyn hadn't looked at her with accusation in her eyes.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer, etc., in prologue. Thanks to all that have reviewed/followed/favorited this one. :)

Part Three

She felt absolutely ridiculous, and she knew she was probably totally being set up, but that didn't stop Eve from slowly making her way up to the roof of her hotel later that night, the woman seriously hoping that this whole thing didn't end with her being a splat on the pavement below. Honestly, she'd debated with herself all evening about how to respond to the text, going back and forth about whether or not she should show up, finally deciding that she may as well go for it. That decision had come right around the time she'd leveled Layla with a roundhouse kick to the face during the tag team match they'd had that night (Layla teaming with Alicia Fox while she'd teamed with Natalya) and Eve had decided to stick with it. Which explained why she was standing on the steps of the hotel at one in the morning, her gaze on the door that led to the roof.

Heaving out a sigh, Eve reached out and pushed open the door, pulling her jacket more firmly around her as she stepped out onto the roof, the rush of wind that hit her more than a little chilly. Frowning, she let her gaze move across the roof until she found someone there, the man seated quietly, his arms resting on his knees. She recognized him instantly, but that didn't stop her from sounding almost questioning when she said his name.

"CM Punk?"

He nodded slightly, then turned his head so that he could look back over his shoulder at her. Eve felt his gaze move over her, taking in the jeans and sneakers she'd changed into after the show, the man smirking slightly as he looked at her.

"Wasn't sure you would show," he said after a moment, waving his arm in a gesture that Eve took to mean that she should join him. Since he didn't seem to be threatening her in any way - and really, as the WWE champion, the man had bigger fish to fry than her - and he wasn't anywhere near the edge of the roof, Eve made her way over to him, frowning slightly at the dirty surface of the roof before easing down to sit next to him.

"I sincerely thought about it," Eve admitted. "Then I decided... What if the person really does have proof that I was framed? It would make it so much easier to clear my name."

Punk nodded slightly. "I sent both texts, actually. The one about you being framed and the one about having proof that you did it," he told her, and Eve couldn't stop the indignant expression on her face at that.

"I had nothing to do with-"

"And I believe you. That's why I was the one waiting for you here," he replied, then pulled out his phone, pausing a moment to type up and send a quick text message. That done, he pocketed his phone again, then looked over at her. "Paul was waiting at the other rendezvous point, just in case. We didn't expect you to show there, so he brought a book. I just told him you were here and that he could go back to his hotel room. As long as he didn't fall asleep waiting or something."

Eve was quiet for a moment. "Why am I here?" she finally asked, turning her head to look at the man that had been the WWE champion for ten months now. The longest reign in five years.

Punk shrugged. "Why are any of us here? I mean, what's the meaning of life?" he countered, the man smirking slightly when that earned him a bit of a glare from the new divas' champion. "I'm guessing that's not what you actually meant."

"Right. I meant why am I here? Now? With you?"

"Because you responded to my text?" he replied questioningly, and Eve made an exasperated sound.

"I responded to your text because you said you knew who was trying to frame me for the attack on Kaitlyn. But since you've admitted that you also sent the text saying you had proof that I attacked Kaitlyn - which isn't possible because I didn't do it so proof can't exist - then I'm thinking you don't know who actually did it or who's trying to frame me for it, either," the diva said, giving Punk and look, and the man arched his brows at her.

"Did you even take a breath during that?"

"Not. Helping," she told him, and he sighed.

"Paul thinks I need an ally. A partner, as you will," CM Punk stated calmly, as if he was talking about the weather, and Eve felt her eyes widen in surprise as she registered what he was saying... and what the fact that he was saying it to her meant.

"You can't be serious-"

"Oh, but I can. When I need to be. Holding onto this title makes me very serious," the man replied. "I'll admit that you were Paul's suggestion, but the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. You're intelligent. I mean... graduated with honors from college and all of that... and I don't even know what the hell your degree means. You're the first woman to have the divas' title three times, which has to mean something about your abilities in the ring. And you also happen to be the assistant to the GM of SmackDown, which means you know more about what's going on in the administration than I possibly could. So yeah. Paul had a good point when he suggested you."

"I'm also the number one suspect in the attack on Kaitlyn the other night."

"But you didn't do it. You say you didn't, and I believe you," he said, and the diva snorted.

"Please. You sent me two texts, one saying I was guilty and one saying I was innocent, and then you set up shop to see where I would show. That's not trusting in my innocence," Eve retorted, starting to rise to her feet, then letting out an undignified yelp when Punk reached out, grabbed the sleeve of her jacket, and pulled her back down. "Hey! What the hell-"

"Not starting a fight. Just finishing the conversation," he told her, turning his head to look at her. "I waited here for you. The place where you would likely go if you were innocent. Paul's where the supposed proof you're guilty is. If you'd been guilty, you'd be more likely to go and try to pay off the person with proof or something. Instead, you're here. And I waited here for you. I trusted enough in your innocence that I waited here instead of there. That's got to count for something."

"Maybe it does. I'm just not sure how much yet."


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer in the prologue.

Thanks to all that have reviewed.

Part Four

"It bothers you, doesn't it?"

Eve jerked slightly at the sound of the voice despite the fact that she'd known full well that CM Punk was still seated beside her on the damned hotel roof. It was just that he'd been silent for so long that she hadn't really expected him to speak again. Schooling her features to an expression of boredom, she looked over at him. "Excuse me?"

The WWE champion snorted, obviously not fooled by the look she was giving him. He knew that he'd startled her. "You heard me. It bothers you. That people think you had something to do with what happened to Kaitlyn at Night of Champions."

Eve gave him a look of disdain. "I can handle being accused of things I'm actually doing. But I don't appreciate being accused of something I had nothing to do with," she stated, careful to keep her voice even. "As I'm sure you've figured out... Which is why you pretended to know who had really done it as a way to get me to meet you up here," the woman said, giving him a look, but Punk didn't seem the least bit repentant about the fact that he'd lied to get her to show up here.

"Well, I figured that the text messages would let me know if my instincts were right. I didn't think you had anything to do with it, and by showing up here instead of where Paul was waiting..." He shrugged. "It's good to know my instincts are still on." The WWE champion met her gaze. "And if I knew who was behind the attack on Kaitlyn, I would tell you."

"But you don't. Obviously."

"I have theories. But I'm sure you do, too," he said, then smirked as he looked over at her. "I may have heard a rumor about a little confrontation you might have had with Layla."

"Yes, well, she pissed me off. Was all bitchy about losing to me because I was an injury replacement, then accused me of being the one to hurt Kaitlyn. So I went off on her. She deserved it."

"I'm not saying she didn't. And you do realize that she's actually one of the most obvious suspects in this thing, don't you?" he questioned. "Most people jump to you because you benefited the most from it, but you aren't the one that reminded Booker T that all the titles had to be defended that night. Teddy Long was the one that did that."

"And he's the last person that would ever mean to help me with anything, what with the way I make him look so stupid so often," Eve said, smirking as she spoke, and Punk couldn't help but smile at the self-satisfied look on the diva's face. Clearly, she enjoyed making Teddy Long look like a moron. Not that it was that difficult... In fact, Eve was the type that probably would enjoy it more if Teddy at least made it a challenge to make him look like a dumbass.

"You have a point there. And Booker T is the one that actually put you in the match. And he did it for logical reasons. You were the last one eliminated in the number one contender's battle royal, and you'd beaten Kaitlyn twice in the past month, including once after she'd been named the number one contender," he said, watching as Eve's eyes narrowed at his words. Clearly, she hadn't expected him to know so much about what had been going on with her recently. He shrugged. "Apparently, Paul has been keeping an eye on you for awhile."

Eve wrinkled up her nose. "Paul Heyman's keeping an eye on me? Well that's just creepy," she said, and Punk smirked slightly before continuing.

"Anyway... It made sense that you were the one chosen as the replacement. You've been winning a lot lately. But it's possible that whoever attacked Kaitlyn thought the match for that night would be cancelled totally, not that a replacement would be named. And who had the most to benefit from delaying the title match? Layla, the woman that held the championship at the time. Kaitlyn had been on a roll, right?"

"She beat Beth Phoenix on the SmackDown before the pay per view. She'd beaten Natalya before that as well."

"She'd beaten everyone she'd faced... except you, if I'm remembering correctly," Punk said, looking over at her. "Might have made Layla nervous, and as I recall, she hasn't always been a nice girl."

"Lay-Cool," Eve whispered in response, the look on her face making it very clear how she still felt about the duo that had spent far too long as the WWE's resident mean girls.

"Yup. They did everything they could to keep the title when they did the stupid-ass 'co-champions' shit. Maybe she's doing the same thing again. I mean, geez, how long had it been since she'd last defended the title anyway?"

"No Way Out against Beth Phoenix. In June," was Eve's immediate answer. She shrugged when Punk arched a brow. "I'm the assistant to the GM of SmackDown. It's my job to know things. Such as the fact that after winning the title at Extreme Rules, she defended for the first time the next night in a triple threat that was also Nikki's rematch, then defended against Beth at both Over the Limit and No Way Out. After that, she didn't defend again for a solid two and a half months... Until Night of Champions."

"Makes it seem even more like she'd be a solid suspect. Over two months of a free ride as champ, then she had to defend against someone on a roll. Maybe she wanted to buy herself more time as the champion and never thought you'd be put in as a replacement."

"She really makes a good suspect, doesn't she?" Eve mused, then sighed. "I don't have any proof, though."

"And she doesn't have any proof that it was you."

"Well, I know it wasn't me. But I don't know for sure if it *was* her. Kaitlyn was ruffling some feathers in the division. People that didn't like a rookie getting a shot. Beth was furious that Kaitlyn beat her-"

"And Natalya probably felt the same way. Anyone that could be considered an enemy of Kaitlyn's could be a suspect," Punk said, then tilted his head to the side. "Or maybe there was more to Teddy reminding Booker that the title had to be defended. Maybe he was going to suggest someone-"

"But why would he do that to Kaitlyn? He tried to help her get a job in Booker's administration-"

"Yeah, and you beat her to win the job instead. Maybe he's mad that she didn't beat you and is teaming up with someone new, and the title shot was payment for her help or something. I don't know. There are a lot of possibilities. And a lot of people that don't want to look at any of the possibilities besides you," he said, then looked over at her. "Couldn't hurt for you to have someone on your side," the WWE champion stated, reminding her of the real reason he'd asked her to meet him in the first place - to bring up the possibility of them teaming up.

Eve dragged her teeth over her bottom lip. "I... I'll think about it," she said, and he nodded, not looking entirely satisfied, but clearly not wanting to press too much on the issue right now.

"That's all I ask."


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer, etc., in the prologue.

Part Five

Kaitlyn sat quietly on the bed in the room - well, one of the beds. She still wasn't sure how it was that she'd ended up being Layla's on-the-road roommate over the past couple of months, especially since she'd been supposed to be the number one contender for the title that Layla had held at the time... Not that Layla had it any longer. No, it was Eve Torres that currently carried the pink and silver divas' championship belt... A belt that a lot of people thought was silly looking. And maybe it was, but it was the only championship for the women in the WWE, which meant that any and every diva should want to hold it. Kaitlyn wanted to hold it. Layla wanted to hold it... again. And Eve Torres actually held it at the moment, the first to ever hold the divas' title for a third time. So yeah, maybe wanting the championship a third time and the fact that she'd been the injury replacement made Eve the most likely suspect in the whole attack at Night of Champions, but Kaitlyn had already ruled out the diva as the actual attacker. She was too tall, and too in a completely other place at the time. However, given the way that Layla was pacing back and forth across the room and ranting about the other woman, Kaitlyn figured that right now was not the time to say anything about that.

"I can't believe that awful little bitch! Implying that I might have had something to do with that horrible attack on you," Layla was saying at the moment, shaking her head angrily, looking over to Kaitlyn for a supportive gesture but not actually looking at the younger diva long enough to get a response, so the Houstonian didn't feel too badly for not giving her one. Especially since Kaitlyn wasn't one hundred percent sure that Layla didn't have something to do with it... Not very trusting of her, she knew. But she'd already been screwed over once by a supposed best friend - AJ going all kinds of crazy and all - and Layla had spent most of her career being a mean girl instead of the supposedly nice girl she was now. On top of that, Layla had seemed a little too confident that she would be retaining that title at Night of Champions... Like it was a sure thing that she would be walking out of there with the championship still slung over her shoulder. Kaitlyn wasn't sure if that was just because the British diva had thought that there was no way a rookie would be able to beat her, or if maybe, just maybe, Layla had believed that she had it in the bag because she thought there wouldn't be a match at all. After all, the other woman couldn't have known that Teddy Long would remind Booker that all title had to be defended or that Booker T would see fit to put Eve in the match as the injury replacement.

"She actually had the nerve to practically accuse me! Can you believe that? Honestly? Me? I was the champion, I didn't need to attack anybody to get into the match; I was already in it."

"But maybe you wanted it cancelled," Kaitlyn muttered before she could stop herself, but thankfully she'd kept her voice low enough that there was no way that Layla actually heard the words she was saying... Which, considering the fact that she was technically injured (and on crutches at the moment) and clearly not up to a fight, well... It was definitely not a good idea to accuse her roommate for the night of possibly having something to do with the attack on her the week before. Especially when that woman just happened to be between her and the door. Of course, if it came down to it, she supposed she could whack Layla with one of her crutches... But it wasn't like she actually believed that Layla was behind the attack or anything, was it?

Kaitlyn just didn't know anymore. She'd thought she'd known who she could trust, but then AJ had gone completely nuts and hadn't been a friend to her in, like, months, not even telling her that she was sorry for the fact that her first title shot had gone up in smoke... Oh, sure, she was supposed to get a chance at the title as soon as she'd healed up, but a random chance on RAW was nothing compared to getting her first shot on a pay per view, on Night of Champions, a night that was all about the titles.

"Did you say something?"

Kaitlyn blinked in surprise, looking over to find Layla standing there looking at her, her head tilted to the side like a curious puppy. Well, given the look on her face a curious, but angry puppy. A puppy that Kaitlyn did not want to piss off, not in her currently injured state.

The blonde woman shook her head. "No. I... Not really. Nothing to you, anyway. My foot's just bugging me. I think I'm going to take something for it," Kaitlyn said, awkwardly reaching out to get her crutches, then getting to her feet, slowly making her way toward the bathroom, pausing at the door to look back at the British woman. "You know, I realize that you're upset that Eve won the title and all, but remember... You still have a rematch clause."

"A rematch clause? I shouldn't need one! I should still be the champion, and I would, if Eve hadn't done what she did!" Layla declared as she started up her rant again, apparently conveniently forgetting that if Eve hadn't been the one in the match, then the person she'd have been facing at Night of Champions was the very person that she was talking to. Clearly, she didn't realize that what she'd just said was very insulting to Kaitlyn, but the younger woman didn't say anything about it, instead making her way into the bathroom and closing the door behind her, carefully locking it. Instead of digging into her bag for her painkillers, however, Kaitlyn eased her way over to the vanity to stand in front of the mirror, frowning at her reflection, the woman wondering just how it was that she'd managed to get into the position that she was in...

And wishing she knew who it was that she could trust. Or if she could trust anyone at all.


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer, etc., in prologue.

Part Six

He made his way into his hotel room, closing the door behind him and glancing over at the adjoining door to the next room. Frowning, he considered it for a moment, debating about whether to knock and see if the man in the room was still awake, but then he shook his head, turning the deadbolt to more securely lock the door to his room, then made his way over and flopped down on the bed, reaching for the remote and turning on the television as he did so. Seconds later, he heard a knock on the door that joined his room to the one beside it, and a quick glance at it told him that he'd left that one unlocked.

"It's open!" he called out, not feeling like getting up to let the other man in, and Punk turned his head to look as Paul Heyman made his way into the room, the older man now dressed in sweats instead of the suit he always wore to the shows. Punk nodded at the older man, gesturing for him to have a seat in one of the chairs in the room, then turned his attention back to the television, turning it onto ESPN, then lowering the volume a little so that it wouldn't interfere with their conversation. "What's up?"

"Shouldn't I be asking you that? I mean, she showed up where you were instead of where I was waiting," Paul said, then shrugged. "Of course, we both knew that would happen."

"Still, it's nice to know that our instincts were right and that she showed up where we thought she would. She didn't have anything to do with the attack on Kaitlyn. Of course, I'm thinking she wasn't too thrilled when she showed up and realized that I'd only said what I did to get her there and that I didn't actually know anything."

Paul flinched slightly at that. "So it went badly?" he asked, and Punk was thoughtful for a moment before shaking his head.

"No. It really didn't. I mean, she stayed and heard me out. She was a little creeped out to find out that you've been keeping an eye on her, but otherwise... I mean... She didn't hit me, or throw a fit. And it makes sense that she would be annoyed that I lied to get her to show up. The fact that I actually believe that she's innocent in the whole Kaitlyn attack... That will probably help our cause." He frowned. "It would help more if we could figure out who the attacker was, get some proof."

"Help her clear her name," Heyman intoned, and Punk nodded.

"Pretty much. I'm not sure we can do that, though. Not like we can go back to the scene of the crime and look for clues. We're at a different arena every damn night."

"We might be able to get the security footage," Paul replied, and the WWE champion nodded at that. Granted, he wasn't a big shot in the company - not in terms of being management or anything - but there was still a chance he could figure something out, talk to the right people. Most of management hated him, though, so he wasn't sure.

"We could try. Or we could try and help Eve piece things together. We already know where she was when the attack happened. She was talking to the Prime Time Players. Maybe we just need to find out where the other divas were," Punk said, then smirked a little at the thought of playing detective and interrogating the women in the company. Somehow, he didn't think that would go over too well.

Heyman looked thoughtful. "Is that part of her terms for becoming your manager? That we find out who really attacked Kaitlyn and clear her name?"

Punk shrugged. "She hasn't really spelled out the terms and conditions yet. She hasn't said no, but she hasn't said yes, either. She told me that she would think about it. Hopefully, being my manager and knowing that would mean that me and you would have her back would be enough. And she knows that we believed she didn't have anything to do with what happened at Night of Champions anyway, so... That's a plus in our favor. Even if she doesn't approve of how I got her on that roof." The WWE champion heaved out a sigh. "I'm actually hoping she says yes."

"Isn't that what we both want?" Heyman asked, and Punk shrugged his shoulders, the Chicago native sitting up on the bed, his back pressed against the headboard that was attached to the wall.

"I wasn't sure at first, to be honest. I've teamed up with people before. Doesn't always work on in the long-term. I mean, really, I just took over the New Nexus to get rid of Barrett and beat the crap out of Orton and Cena for awhile, but still... That fell apart. I'm pretty sure that most of the Straight Edge Society has been in rehab at some point or another by now, so that didn't go too well-"

"But Eve isn't one of the lackeys in the New Nexus, nor is she some sort of blind follower like those in the Straight Edge Society were," Paul interrupted. "She's a smart woman. A partner, a teammate. Not a lackey or a follower."

"Which is going to be... different. If she says yes. I'm used to being a leader. Not part of a team." He shrugged. "At least I know she won't be after my title."

"And you won't be after hers. You won't have to worry about her stabbing you in the back to make another opportunity for herself because you won't be competing against each other. Improving your standing would improve hers. She's smart enough to realize that," Paul said, then arched a brow at him. "Do we have a time table for making her decision?" the man asked, and Punk shook his head.

"No. I didn't want to rush her. Pushing her to make a decision too quickly could lead her to make the wrong one. I want her to work with us, but I want her to be sure about it. It wouldn't be good if she said yes, then went and changed her mind," Punk replied. "I just hope she'll make her decision soon."

"That makes two of us."


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer, etc., in prologue.

* * *

Part Seven

She sat at the small table, sipping the coffee she'd bought and staring at the muffin more than actually eating it. Her foot was tapping against the floor in a nervous habit, the woman frowning as she thought about what had happened last night. When she'd headed to the roof to meet up with the person that claimed to have proof she hadn't attacked Kaitlyn, she really hadn't expected anything. She'd figured that it would be a set-up or something, though she'd figured the other text - the one claiming that they had proof she'd done it - had been more of a set-up. She'd figured that to be not only a lie - because there was no proof she'd done it because she hadn't - but a trap of some sort. Someone trying to get her to admit she'd done it and get her fired over it or something. Of course, that hadn't actually been the case, either, as she'd found out when CM Punk had admitted that he'd sent both texts and that Paul Heyman had been waiting to see if she'd shown up at the second location instead of on the roof. And while he hadn't had any proof of her innocence, he'd had something that had been far more surprising... An invitation to join up. And it seemed like he wanted a partnership... That's what he'd said. A partner. Not her as a lackey or a manager, but... As an actual partner of sorts. Someone to work with, not someone to order around.

Shaking her head, Eve Torres tore off a bite of the muffin she'd bought, popping it into her mouth as she sat there, the woman looking out of the cafe window, glancing at the people passing by. The place was right next to the hotel she'd stayed at the night before, making the place a choice out of convenience more than anything else, and she'd actually seen a few of her coworkers as they'd headed for their rental cars and prepared to leave for the airport - or wherever they were headed next. Thankfully, none of them had seen her sitting there, because most of them were jerks to her, not liking her for some reason or another... Blaming her for what had happened to Kaitlyn, for one... Being mad and somehow blaming her for their spots on the shows, for another. Which really wasn't fair since she was only the assistant to the General Manager of SmackDown. It wasn't like she was the actual GM or anything (though she was pretty sure she could actually do a better job at it than Booker), and she didn't have any involvement at all on the RAW side of things... Which was good, really, because if she had to answer to AJ frickin' Lee for anything, she would probably end up kicking the other woman in the face for being annoying as hell, and that would just get her fired. Even if AJ deserved it. Really, the fact that the other woman was the RAW GM right now was an absolute joke anyway. A total publicity stunt by Vince McMahon. Putting an unbalanced moron with no experience whatsoever in charge of the flagship show. It was no wonder that the board had removed Vince from power for awhile the year before... Too bad, really, that they'd given him that power back.

Pushing her hair back, Eve looked up at the sound of the little bell on the front door of the cafe, watching as the door swung open... The diva freezing when she saw who it was that was coming into the place. Kaitlyn made her way in slowly, a bit painstakingly, the woman looking like she wasn't very comfortable on her crutches as of yet... Not surprising, really. She'd only been on them for a little over a week. The good news was that Eve had heard she wasn't supposed to have to use them too much longer; the injury hadn't been quite as bad as originally thought. The bad news, though, was that once she got healthy again, Kaitlyn was likely to come after her... Especially if people like Layla could convince the younger woman that Eve had been the one to attack her... Or at least that Eve had been the one to order the attack or something. Neither scenario was true, of course, but just because it wasn't true didn't mean people didn't believe it. Eve had figured out over the past week that people were all too ready to put the blame for what had happened to Kaitlyn on her. Her conversation the night before with CM Punk had been the first time since it happened that someone had actually said that they believed she was innocent.

Part of her thought she should team up with Punk just for that.

Turning her attention away from Kaitlyn, the divas' champion reached for her coffee, taking a sip of it before reaching for her muffin again, the woman trying to look busy and like she wasn't aware that the younger diva was in the cafe. The last thing she wanted right now was a confrontation of any kind... So far, no one in the cafe had seemed to recognize her, and she wanted to keep it that way. She'd just come to grab something to eat and drink before she had to leave for the airport, and all she'd hoped for was some peace and quiet... Something she'd gotten so far, but something she was afraid she was going to lose if Kaitlyn noticed her. Granted, Kaitlyn hadn't given her any sort of accusing looks the night before at the arena, but rumor had it that the woman had been rooming with Layla the night before, which meant the British diva'd had the entire night to convince Kaitlyn that she was evil incarnate. Layla had probably been absolutely fuming over the confrontation she'd had with Eve at the arena, and the divas' champion figured that Layla had told anyone and everyone that would listen what a horrible person she was-

"Can I sit here?"

Eve jerked at the sound of the voice, looking up to find Kaitlyn standing there, the diva still on her crutches, the woman holding one of those little plastic numbers that told the server where to take the order in one hand.

"Excuse me?"

"Can I sit here?" Kaitlyn asked again, then arched a brow at Eve. "Because we need to talk."


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer, etc., in prologue.

* * *

Part Eight

Trying not to look as confused as she felt, Eve reached out with her foot, pushing the chair opposite her out so that Kaitlyn could sit down in it, the divas' champion watching as the woman that was supposed to be the number one contender carefully moved around and sat down, laying her crutches next to the side of the table that was almost up against the wall, putting them in a place that would make them unlikely to be tripped over.

Glancing down at Kaitlyn's wrapped ankle, Eve tore a piece off of her muffin, slowly chewing and swallowing before she spoke. "How bad is it?"

"I'll be out a few weeks. But then I'll get my title shot. That's what Booker T says, anyway."

Eve shrugged. "You're still the number one contender. You'll just be facing a different champion when you step into the ring for your title match," the brunette replied, pressing her lips together for a moment before speaking again. "Why are you here? To accuse me or something?" she asked, despite the fact that her mind kept telling her that Kaitlyn had been one of the few people that hadn't looked at her accusingly the night before. CM Punk hadn't looked at her accusingly, either, instead telling her that he believed her.

But now was not the time to think about that. Not when Kaitlyn was sitting across from her.

"I know you couldn't have done it yourself. I saw what you were wearing when you showed up with that stage hand," the younger diva said, shrugging her shoulders slightly. "I'm pretty sure I would have noticed if my attacker was in heels and a leopard-print skirt or whatever."

"That is true. And my hair wouldn't have been so perfect when I came to help you, either," Eve replied, reaching for her cup of coffee and taking a sip, the two women falling silent as Kaitlyn's cappuccino and danish were brought out, the younger woman smiling and thanking the server, waiting for the woman to walk away before turning back to Eve.

"Of course there's also the possibility that you had someone commit the attack for you, but that still has holes in it. That theory. Because I'm pretty sure that my attacker was a woman. She was shorter than me... Which obviously makes her shorter than you, since I know you're actually taller than I am. And the thing is, Eve... No offense, but you're not exactly close to anyone. Certainly not close enough to trust someone to take out the competition."

The divas' champion gestured around them. "What? You can't see that I'm surrounded by friends?" she questioned, then shook her head. "Trying to have friends in the divas' division is stupid. It's fine to have alliances, but it's rare that friendships don't somehow end. I think you've realized that yourself."

Kaitlyn snorted at that, obviously understanding immediately that Eve was referring to her broken friendship with AJ Lee. "AJ's fucking crazy," the younger woman said, taking a bite of her danish, and Eve shrugged her shoulders before replying.

"Crazy? Not really. She wanted attention, and she got it. She tried to string three guys along all summer just to make sure the focus was on her. Kane let her down easily, Punk finally saw the light and realized that the poor little unbalanced AJ thing was just her way of getting what she wanted, and she made Daniel Bryan look like a fool. And now? She's in charge on RAW, which is a terrible business decision on the part of Vince McMahon, but it's his decision. However, it's also giving AJ exactly what she wanted... The spotlight, as well as power over anyone that she thinks hurt her. She's not crazy. She's fucking diabolical," Eve said, and Kaitlyn's brows rose at the older woman's language - despite the fact that she herself had dropped an f-bomb just moments before. Perhaps Kaitlyn just hadn't expected Eve to use the word as well.

"You've put some thought into it."

"Maybe I have. Face it. It's hard to understand why some girl with no experience in a supervisory role is somehow now in charge of RAW. It will be interesting to watch her fail, because we both know she will," Eve replied, and Kaitlyn didn't disagree with her assessment of how AJ would do... Possibly because she thought the same thing herself.

"I was thinking about it, and you couldn't have known for sure that you would be the one put in the match as my replacement at Night of Champions," Kaitlyn said then, effectively bringing the subject back to what she'd sat down to discuss in the first place, and Eve heaved out a sigh.

"No, I couldn't have. I do believe that I was a logical choice, though."

"You came in second in the battle royal, and you'd beaten me twice recently in singles' competition. I can't argue that you were a logical choice. But you weren't the one that reminded Booker that every title had to be defended at Night of Champions. And considering how well you and Teddy Long get along... Which is to say you *don't*... I don't think you could have gone in there expecting him to say what you needed him to say. Not if he knew you were the most logical choice to go in as a replacement. Me and you and Layla were the only ones that had any real wins under our belt going in Night of Champions."

"I was the only one that had beaten you in recent weeks, and you were the number one contender," Eve replied, and Kaitlyn nodded.

"You were. Which makes me wonder what the real motive for this attack was... Did they want to keep me from my title shot? Or did they secretly hope that you would get the title shot, so that suspicion would fall on you?"

"Two possibilities. That the attack was about you... or about me," Eve muttered, then arched a brow, looking Kaitlyn in the eyes. "Three possibilities. It wasn't about you, it wasn't about me. It was about getting the match cancelled, and Teddy Long just messed up the person's plan."

"There's only one person that would have benefited from the match being cancelled, and she still would have had to face me later anyway."

"What if it was to weaken you, not cancel the match?"

"She thought I would wrestle anyway, and she would pick up an easy victory."

"You don't seem outraged at the idea it could be her."

"I've considered it."

"Well, consider this, too... Maybe someone thought Layla holding onto the title would be better for them later on. They thought she was more beatable, less dangerous, than you."

"We're not eliminating any suspects."

"No, we're not. But once we figure out possible motives, then we can start eliminating the possibilities."

"True enough," Kaitlyn said, and Eve nodded, then paused, looking the younger woman in the eye.

"I didn't attack you at Night of Champions, nor did I have you attacked."

"I wouldn't be here if I didn't already believe that."

"I know. But I still needed to look you in the eye and say it."


End file.
